In real life, we spend a lot of time hiding our feelings. Your boss wants you to do something and you know it’s another stupid idea, but you also know it’s unwise to rant. Your mother tells you something unkind about your sister, but you don’t want to get dragged into that family feud again, so you reply as gently and vaguely as possible. In a story, your characters may also try to hide their feelings for important reasons. Here are a few story ideas that might involve hidden feelings:

• This is a competition and betrayal story about a young woman earning money for college by leading a group of adventure tourists to Styx.

• This is a gothic fantasy about an empath who discovers a rich source of psychic energy in discarded dreams, and wants to put it to good use.

• This is a political thriller about a major interplanetary incident touched off by France's request for the return of cultural objects taken as spoils in the G-Star War.